Wesley Fofana is a centre

After three rounds of Six Nations rugby the outstanding moments from the midfield have been one pass from Brian O'Driscoll to Simon Zebo and the solo run by Wesley Fofana against England. Almost as good was the French centre's side-step later in the game, an effortless movement of his feet a split second after his hands had caught the ball. But two bits of Fofana and a glimpse of BOD as he was once was have been drowned by the burst mains of crash-ball charges against the blitz or the drift or whatever is the latest demonic defensive system. It is the way of the game and each act of defiance against the domination of the stoppers should be cherished. So, Wesley, stay in the centre and float defiantly. Eddie Butler

Manu Tuilagi is a centre

He scored a try of dubious beauty, given that the hack from the ruck struck one of his own before it came to the young Manu. A Fofana slide and glide it was not. But if England are going to find a dimension beyond the resilient togetherness that overcame Ireland and France, their centre seems the best equipped for it. He is obviously an imposing physical specimen but there is more than brute force at work here. England have a golden opportunity against Italy, with home advantage, to cut loose and improve their overall total of scoreboard points. The performance against Scotland promised a more daring approach, which has been mothballed in the hard-won victories in rounds two and three. But now comes a rare chance to link together the little passes out of contact and for Tuilagi to show he can do subtlety too. Eddie Butler

Italy's old props are feeling the strain

Andrea Lo Cicero and Martin Castrogiovanni have 195 caps between them, an extraordinary tally for two prop forwards, which speaks of their legendary status just as loudly as their shaggy-haired charisma does. But that is an awful lot of miles on the clock now. Years-wise, those clocks are reading 36 and 31 respectively. Italy's scrum struggled alarmingly at times against Wales and, if they ever lose their fabled prowess in that department, Italy will struggle to develop any further the more ambitious game plan they showcased in the win against France. Was Saturday a blip, scrum-wise, or is it the shape of things to come? Castrogiovanni is no longer first choice at Leicester and, subject to contract, etc, he is taking the Toulon euro next season. Lo Cicero is, well, 37 in May. Much has been said about the absence of Sergio Parisse but Italy also need alternatives to their legendary props. Michael Aylwin

When will you play again, Sam?

When Rob Howley was asked whether he would be sticking with the don't-change-a-winning-side policy he made such a point of pursuing after the France win, he replied rather sharply: "Maybe." He might as well have followed up with a "What's it to you?" It's a touchy subject because the brouhaha surrounding the situation with Sam Warburton, his regular captain, is becoming quite a distraction. The problem, if it can be called that, is that Ryan Jones, on one flank, is playing as well as he ever has, which is superbly, and Justin Tipuric is having a blinder on the other. On current form Warburton does not get in. Maybe Howley just needs to come out and say as much. It is nothing to be ashamed of. The situation is not going to get any easier with Dan Lydiate's not too distant return. There is another situation brewing with Alun Wyn Jones and the fine form of his replacement, Andrew Coombs. Stuart Lancaster revels in his multitude of selection headaches. Howley is not helped by his position as caretaker but, if he could develop a similar line in swagger, he might pose a selection headache himself when the man he is a replacement for, Warren Gatland, finally returns. Michael Aylwin

Jackson deserves another chance

Paddy Jackson's debut will obviously not be categorised as one of the "dream" variety. Watching eminently kickable shots at goal fading away from the posts and, horror of horrors, a missed touch from a penalty, endear a fly-half to no one in a close game. But Jackson is hardly the reason Ireland lost; profligacy in the first half and a lack of composure under pressure in the second by players far more experienced than the 21-year-old led to defeat at Murrayfield. Ronan O'Gara, who had been brought on in place of Jackson to shore things up, was one of them, making such a hash of a cross-kick when he should have passed in his own half, that it eventually led to Scotland being awarded the penalty that secured the match.

So here is what should happen. Even if Sexton recovers from a hamstring injury before France head to Dublin in a little under two weeks, O'Gara is Ireland's past, not their future and, if Ireland are to have a back-up fly-half to Sexton going into the 2015 World Cup, Jackson should get another chance from the bench, especially now Ireland's championship ambitions are seriously dented. Except that may be the one reason that sustains O'Gara's international career a little longer. Declan Kidney may be in no mood to look to the future, with his own as head coach possibly becoming a little more uncertain after back-to-back defeats in a year his team were widely expected to challenge for the title. Having thrown off the shackles of his innate caution already in this Six Nations with some of his selections, though, he needs to stay true to the transition that he has begun. Claire Tolley

Scotland will never play another game like this

After the delight and congratulations have sunk in following the unlikely victory over Ireland, let us hope Scotland are brave enough to look at the statistics and realise lightning is unlikely to strike again when Wales travel to Murrayfield in the next round. On a day one pundit described as "better to be without the ball than with it" (clue: he was Irish) Scotland still had astonishingly little possession to end up on the winning side – 28%. Even more staggeringly – at least for those who buy into the mantra that suggests where you are playing is more significant than if you have the ball or not – they spent 77% of their time in their own half. Surely, Wales will not be as helpful as the Irish in failing to do so little with such gifts? Yes, Scotland's defence was remarkable where it needed to be, in their 22, but they need to play as they did in the last 15 minutes, providing more of a contest at the breakdown and ensuring when they do have the ball in the opposition's half that they keep hold of it. Claire Tolley